‘I’ll not sign a foreign proj just for the sake of it’

Every actor would do their homework and learn dialogues before arriving on the set.

NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI, ACTOR

With two web series slated to release this year, Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the latest actor to join the digital bandwagon. The web show, Mc Mafia, also happens to be his first international project, which is directed by James Watkins. James had seen some of his previous movies such as the Gangs Of Wasseypur series and Miss Lovely (2012) before casting him.

Nawazuddin is all praises for the makers and commends their systematic style of working. Talking about his collaboration with an international crew, he says, “It was a wonderful experience. They had a strictly professional approach towards everything and that is something I really admire. We took two months to shoot one episode. It was treated in the same way as a feature film would be, with absolute attention to detail — right from characters to every single scene. There were enough rehearsals of each scene. Every actor would do their homework and learn dialogues before arriving on the set. They won’t okay a take or a shot until it’s perfect and as the director would expect it to be. They’re okay even if you wrap up only one scene a day, in order to achieve that finesse. I think in the West in general, actors may not sign a dime a dozen projects, but even if they sign fewer — they make sure they give enough time and attention to each.”

So, is he seeking to be part of more international productions in the future? “I’m not actively chasing anything in particular. In this case too, I was approached by the makers for the show. So, even in the future, I will only associate with a project — be it Bollywood or international — only if I fit the role and not just for the sake of it,” says Nawazuddin.

Ask the actor how he manages to multi-task and juggles movies and other acting assignments, and the Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) actor says, “Ideally, I prefer taking up only one project at a time. It’s important to have some time in between two projects. As an actor, you have to unlearn what you have learnt for a role, in order to efficiently step into another.”